The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Arachis glabrata herein referred to as ‘PP-1’.
The new Arachis glabrata is a product of a planned research and evaluation program conducted by the Inventors in Tifton, Ga. The objective of the Arachis glabrata research program is to create new plant cultivars with improved commercial qualities. This cultivar is commercially important for its superior ornamental value. These and other qualities are enumerated herein.
Pedigree and history: Annual reports by J. L. Stephens, a research agronomist show that Mr. Stephens introduced 12 wild Arachis species and evaluated them in test plots at Tifton, Ga. from 1952 to 1954. One accession was designated as A. glabrata, three accessions were designated as A. marginata, and the remaining accessions were designated as unknown ‘sp.’ with a number. Observations indicated broad morphological variation within the A. glabrata species, therefore difficulty in establishing species identity without expert assistance. Mr. Stephens wrote in his 1953 annual report that three accessions, Arachis sp. 172223, Arachis sp. 172224, and Arachis sp. DETP 6519 (all unpatented) showed potential for cattle pastures and were vegetatively planted in two-acre pastures in 1954. However, the perennial peanut research was not mentioned in Mr. Stephens' annual reports after 1954; probably due to establishment problems due to vegetative propagation.
 is a vigorous Arachis glabrata plant growing on its own for over 50 years in Tifton, Ga. on the eastern edge of the test plots used in 1952 to 1954 to test perennial peanut introductions. ‘PP-1’ probably arose from either an outcross among the A. glabrata accessions being evaluated or a superior genetic recombination from an A. glabrata introduction growing in the 1952 to 1954 plots at Tifton, Ga. A. glabrata flowers profusely and will set occasional seeds. It was discovered by the inventors growing in a natural uniform stand 7 m wide and 123 m long on the eastern edge of the 1952 to 1954 research plots. Growth or spread of the ‘PP-1’ stand has been limited on the east side by herbicides sprayed along U.S. Route 41 and limited on the west side by cultivation and herbicides. Pictures of ‘PP-1’ were sent to Dr. Charles Simpson to help with identification. Dr. Simpson sent the inventor a sample of the Arachis glabrata ‘A42’ variety (unpatented) which was then compared with ‘PP-1’. ‘A42’ has wider leaves (Table 8) and more leaf area per leaf (Table 10) than ‘PP-1’.
A fourteen amplified fragment length polymorphism AFLP study on “Genetic Variability of Cultivated Rhizome Peanut” by Maas, Anderson and Quesenberry [Crop Science 50:1908-1914 (2010)] revealed that ‘PP-1’ is most related to ‘Florigraze’ (unpatented), a broad leaf and tall perennial peanut type plant. ‘PP-1’ is referred to as UGA Experimental in the Maas et al., study; the study also included released or soon to be released cultivars and accessions with commercial cultivar potential (the study did not include all of the perennial peanut germplasm in GRIN). Morphologically, ‘PP-1’ is most similar to the germoplasm perennial peanut plant ‘Brooksville 68’ (unpatented) commonly referred to as ‘Pointed Leaf’ for which planting stock was not available when we established the 2006 test at Tifton. ‘PP-1’ produces infrequent viable seed. We looked at 40 plants produced from seed of ‘PP-1’ and found that a wide range of morphological types were produced, none with the vigor and persistence of ‘PP-1’.
Asexual reproduction of the new A. glabrata ‘PP-1’ by vegetative propagation from single rhizome sections in a controlled environment in Tifton, Ga. since 2005, has shown that the unique features of this new A. glabrata cultivar are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.